A coffee cup press is perhaps the easiest way to enjoy a cup of coffee. Not only that, it is also the best way to enjoy a cup of coffee. I’ll be candid with you and let you know a little secret. Whenever I buy a new bag of coffee beans or a new coffee roast to try, the first cup I’ll drink of that coffee is with the coffee cup press. Why? I’m gonna tell ya. This is what this post is all about, how and why to use a coffee cup press otherwise known as a French press for your perfect cup of coffee.
Now a coffee cup press or French press coffee cup works exactly like a French press, but it is a French press that is made smaller, the size of a cup, or really if you are looking at them, they are probably the size of at least 2 cups. 2 eight ounce cups or 16 ounces total. These are a great idea for many folks who just want to have a cup of coffee a day, but don’t want to worry about brewing a whole pot or dealing with burnt coffee which can be a problem if you have the coffee sitting on the burner for more than about ten or fifteen minutes. They’re also great for when you’re going out camping and want a good brew every morning but you don’t camp with a coffee maker or RV.
Some information on the coffee cup press
Now a coffee press mug, because really, at 16 ounces this is more of a mug size than a cup size though we use the two interchangeably is also very environmentally friendly. I wish more folks would use the coffee mug press for their coffee beverages when they head out to their local coffee shop. Not to say I’m perfect, I’m not! But I probably remember to bring my coffee mug when I head out about 75% to 80% of the time and I’m always trying to improve on that.
Also, a coffee cup press can also be used for regular coffee too. Just because it has a screen and plunger attached doesn’t mean that you can’t fill it up with regular coffee and be on your way. Sometimes the screens and plungers can be taken out but even if they can’t you can still keep the plunger down and enjoy a good regular cup of joe. You can of course also use a this type of press for loose tea as well. Now tea snobs will get all upset and say that the coffee stained press will alter the flavor or the tea. And I’d have to admit that they’d be right. Still, if you’re in a pinch you can still use it for tea and it’ll taste great. I’ve done it before and I wasn’t totally disappointed by the flavor of the tea, and neither was the tea to the best of my knowledge.
Why use a coffee cup press?
Anyway, I see I’ve taken to rambling again. Sorry about that. The reason you’d use a coffee press in the first press as I mentioned I’d tell you at the very beginning of this post is so you can get the full flavor profile of the coffee beans. A coffee press in case you didn’t know uses coarsely ground coffee tossed in the press and with almost boiling water poured over them. You wait 4 or so minutes and then use the plunger with a screen on it to push the grounds down to the bottom of the coffee cup press and your beverage is ready.
You’d be amazed at how different the flavor is. You see, the problem with filters, especially cloth and paper filters is that they absorb and trap the coffee oils. This is where the full and marvelous bouquet of the coffee is held. In the coffee oils. Oils by the way that are not like fats, they are calorie free (thank heavens!). So try it next time, and you’ll see that a French press of coffee offers a fuller palette of flavor than something brewed from your coffee machine. We’ll talk more about it next time. In the meantime why don’t you go pick up a coffee cup press for yourself and enjoy some good coffee.